The Boston Police Department Dive Team, commanded by Sgt. Phillip Terenzi, is comprised of 22 sworn members of the Boston Police Department. These Team members are assigned to various sections of the city and are activated on an as-needed basis depending n the size of the job.

The Team responds to all underwater incidents, which occur in the City of Boston, or along the 42 sq. miles of Boston Harbor. We are the primary investigators of any crime, which occur on the Harbor Islands.

We engage in evidence recovery and preservation in criminal cases, as well as hull searches of visiting vessels for drugs, explosives or damage. Most recently the Team had the pleasure of searching the hull of the Nations oldest commissioned warship, the U.S.S Constitution. Occasionally we will respond and remove items deemed as a hazard to navigation such as sunken boats, submerged cars and old moorings.

The team trains year round, both indoors and out. Training activities are scheduled two days a month and the training helps members maintain proficiency in navigation, zero visibility diving and the utilization of specialized equipment such as the EXO rigid skeleton face mask with underwater communications, lift bags, video and still cameras and search lines.

The members have various levels of certifications with some members trained in the use of Nitox and Re-Breather Units. In an effort to standardize the level of training, the members of the unit are currently being certified as Police Divers through the National Academy of Police Divers. Under the direction of Boston Police Officer Jeff Worthy an NAPD Instructor. This is an extensive 80-hour course, which covers all aspects of Public Safety Diving.

The divers normally utilize Viking dry suits and cressi full-face dive masks, which protect them from the cold water and most hazards that may be present in the environment such as surface debris and ice. For chemicals and petroleum in the water the divers will use specialty equipment.

The Team never operates without the presence of an EMT or full Ambulance Crew from Boston Emergency Medical Services for safety. Although diving is a relatively safe sport, the Public Safety Diver is usually present in a hazardous environment, swift or stormy waters, low or no visibility conditions with unmarked or submerged obstacles.

The members of the BPD Dive team are also highly visible in the community. Frequently giving demonstrations on the types of equipment the divers utilize in their daily activities, to youth groups, the Police Explorer Post and other neighborhood organizations

We have also conducted several community awareness demonstrations in conjunction with Fox 25 News. Recently using an ice covered Turtle Pond, we demonstrated Ice Rescue Techniques for Fox 25 News, under the direction of Sgt. Phillip Terenzi.

While there, a startling discovery was made; there are Mermaids (men)!

The team can be deployed using any one of the vessels attached to the Harbor Patrol Unit. They are the 86' St. Michael, an old Navy Minesweeper, the 41' Due Process or the 27' Boston Whaler "name insert". If the team has to respond to a land locked body of water we have at our disposal a retrofitted bus, which allows us a warm, dry place to plan a dive or operation.

The methods used in searching for evidence or remains, disposed of in a body of water, require that the diver probe small crevices and holes. The divers routinely practice these methods.

The members of the dive team wish to thank you for visiting this site:

Sgt. Phil Terenzi, Sgt. Brian McMasters, Sgt. Matthew Kervin, Officers Tom Boyle, Richard Carrio, Mark Cooper, William Cullinane, Dennis Mullen, John Newman, Denise Schoener, Rudolph Szegda, Daniel Wallace, Jose Marichal, Lawrence Martinez, Dennis Murphy, James Nolan, Jeffrey Tobin, Richard Lewis, Kevin Yalmolkas, Robert Zingg.